Neko no Youkai better title soon!
by Kari-Ryu no hime
Summary: DISCONTINUED. I'm starting a similar fic, and I'm keeping this one up for reference. basically, I created a third demon, and I'll be doing something similar in my new fic.
1. chapter one: enter Hikaru!

Disclaimer: no, I do NOT own Naruto..... Boy, don't I wish. (Shakes head)  
  
To all you Sasuke-Sakura fans: screw that. Sakura has pink hair.... and whatever. Just, not. Happening.  
  
Btw, this is set BEFORE the chuunin exams, because that's when I wrote the original. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
"Any questions?" Kakashi asked, after briefing his students on their current mission. Naruto looked at his fellow students (sneaking an extra- long peek at Sakura) just to see if they had any. When he saw they didn't he shook his own head no, even though there were a billion questions racing through his mind. Kakashi looked at him extra-hard, then gave up when he saw that the stubborn boy refused to be outdone by his peers. He stood up, dusted himself off, and they would have gotten started, if a small voice had called out from the other side of the clearing.  
  
"Kakashi?" A bedraggled young girl walked towards them. She wore a black Konohakagure hitae-ate about her forehead. Her long brown hair was in a braid that went down to her waist and her eyes were a peculiar shade of bright green. Her skin looked like it was in the middle of tanning, but not as if she was trying, just as if it was happening. She was a bit on the short side, and just somewhat small. Kakashi looked up from the book he's snuck from his pocket guiltily and greeted her.  
  
"Ah, there you are." He smiled and turned to his students. "This is Hikaru, she's here to help me out. I trust you will all be on your best behavior?" His gaze settled on the prankster, who seemed puzzled. Sakura sighed and shook her head.  
  
"Naruto, he means that you can't pull any pranks or other stuff. Like that eraser trick." Outwardly, she reprimanded him, but inwardly, she rewarded his use of the tool-which was meant to be used for education. Naruto scratched his head and nodded once, obviously trying to figure something out. He gave up and opened his mouth to ask for assistance in his quest for knowledge.  
  
"So, who's she?" he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets, face uncharacteristically serious. Sasuke looked at him oddly, Naruto was never serious unless something was really bothering him, or a VERY big problem. The girl nodded and stepped forward, bowing to the three of them.  
  
"Please excuse me for not introducing myself.... I was just happy that I found you all before you went off on your mission, I was afraid I might miss you." She smiled softly to herself and continued. Her voice was a little more self-assured now. "A bunch of the chuunins volunteered to help out the jonins... I wanted some experience with those heading towards the chuunin exams, because I hope to work with them some day. I will try to do my best here." Her smile widened and she nodded once, and then stepped back. Sakura looked at her in awe; she hadn't known that someone could be that.... She couldn't remember the word, but she could just tell this was someone to be respected, if not liked. Sakura was the first to speak, deciding to introduce herself.  
  
"I'm Haruno Sakura. It's nice to meet you." Sakura smiled widely. And for once, she was speaking what her inner voice told her to. Hikaru smiled and nodded.  
  
"Uzumaki Naruto." He mumbled, placing his hands behind his head. Hikaru cracked a grin and nodded to him as well. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, when he noticed that she was looking at him with more interest than she had the others. She stepped forward, and spoke before him.  
  
"Uchiha Sasuke, ne?" she tilted her head to the side and looked at his eyes. He shifted uncomfortably and she spoke again. "You have the sharingan eye, just like Kakashi, right?" she tapped the metal plate one the hitae-ate covering their mentors forehead and Sasuke regained his composure.  
  
"Yeah, to both of those." His voice was soft, and he talked as if he didn't care. Hikaru's face had gone blank, and she nodded at him. She turned back towards Kakashi.  
  
"So, what're we doing?" she asked. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke all sweat-dropped as he re-began the ENTIRE brief...  
  
(((Later that day)))  
  
The five of them dragged their tired bodies back into town... the mission had clearly not been as easy as suspected. Hikaru waved goodbye as she headed off in the direction of Hokage-sama's place. Naruto voiced his question to this and Kakashi began to explain as he walked.  
  
"She has to check in with Hokage and report on how her day went." He said, reading his book. Sakura had been quiet that day, but now she spoke up.  
  
"Hey, how old is she?" she piped up. Kakashi was surprised.  
  
"She's your age, a little younger, by a month or two... well, a month younger than Sasuke... and about 5 months younger than you and 2 months older than Naruto. Why?" he looked at her to see an awed look.  
  
"Then how is she a chuunin?" Sakura was not only awed, but confused... Naruto sensed this, and agreed within his head.  
  
"Well, nobody ever said you have to be twelve to apply for the chuunin exam. I was six when I passed it, and she was 10 when she passed hers." He would've continued with the explanation, but a cry in the distance cut him off. Sasuke heard it to.  
  
"I think it's Hikaru!" he exclaimed. Kakashi nodded.  
  
"You three wait here. I'll be back in a minute." The three students glared at him and he shook his head. "All right, come along."  
  
When they reached the point where the voice had come from all they could see was a bloodstain on the ground. Sasuke looked at it, when all of a sudden he saw something move in the mist. Hikaru was doing her best to dodge multiple shuriken, and she had a deep cut in her collarbone. Every now and then, the stars would graze her skin. One of her hands crept down the side of her leg, and she reached for a kunai knife. Sasuke followed the shuriken, only to see that they came from the center of the mist. Hikaru quickly moved towards there, and he saw the shadow of a man with a battle- ax. Kakashi watched, one hand on the rim of his headband.  
  
In the mist, Hikaru could barely see. She allowed the glow that she could barely control spread to down her arms. The red patterns on her arms burned holes through her outer shirt. She swore and landed behind the man, searching for something, anything, she could do to defeat him. She hadn't seen the others enter the area. He turned to her and hefted the battle-ax with one hand. This was no ninja. He was a hired killer. His long white hair was in a long braid and his grin was malicious. He pulled the outer rod off the handle of the ax and threw it at her. (A/N: it's like he put a pipe around the handle of the ax.) It caught her in the stomach, and she was thrown backwards into a tree. She struggled to her feet, and dropped the pipe. Her eyes blazed red, which was odd because their original color was most definitely green.  
  
Sasuke sensed something wasn't right, and used his Sharingan eye so he could see. She tackled the man to the ground, lifted his battle ax with great difficulty and pinned his hair with the spike on the top. But, although he could no longer stand, his arms and legs were still mobile. He easily tossed the small girl in the air, and kicked her. She flew into a tree, and stood again. Blood seeped through her clothes, and she shut her eyes. The red patterns on her arms which had been just visible before blazed to life as she called upon the power within her. She opened her eyes with anger so fierce it fueled the force with which she attacked. She stood over the man, standing on his arms. She kneeled down and placed both hands on his forehead. She spoke softly and a blast of red sent her flying. When she looked up she saw that the mans internal organs had imploded. She grinned and passed out, bleeding harder now that she was finished fighting. Sakura rushed over to where the fallen girl lay, and Kakashi went to look at her attacker.  
  
There wasn't much left of him but spilled blood and guts. He found no ID, no nothing. Naruto and Sasuke had joined Sakura in checking on Hikaru.  
  
When neither of the other two made a move to pick her up, Sasuke sighed and reached down and picked her up bridal style. Her head rested on his chest and he blushed slightly, and then firmly shook his head. Kakashi saw the condition she was in and walked over.  
  
"We have to get her back to town." Sasuke declared, and Sakura agreed. Kakashi nodded once, and plucked the unconscious girl from Sasuke's grip. Sasuke felt lighter as they headed off towards the clinic. (A/N: does Konohakagure HAVE a clinic?)  
  
The doctors gasped when they saw the girl cradled in Kakashi's arms.  
  
"what happened!?" the first one exclaimed. Kakashi put her on the provided stretcher and looked at the nurse.  
  
"she's a chuunin ninja, Hikaru Hiruzawa." The nurse gasped when she heard the name, then regained her composure and nodded to Kakashi. He continued. "She was helping me out with my students, and was on her way to check in with Hokage, but she got attacked by a hired killer. She defeated him, and this is how she ended up."  
  
"all right. We'll do whatever we can." The nurse turned and rushed away. Kakashi and his students watched helplessly as the doors swung shut. Sasuke had only felt so helpless to anything that had happened in front of him once- when his clan was murdered by Itachi.

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Well, was it ok? I hope so, I really tried hard this time.... I did my very best, I know the chapter wasn't very long, but was it passable? -looks worried- I hope so.

please R&R, constructive critisism welcomed, flames will be ignored.


	2. chapter two: stories untold, secrets rev...

**Stories untold, secrets revealed, and mysteries left unsolved**

The brunette girl sat with her knees up to her chest, face resting on her arms. She looked up for a moment, her eyes bloodshot and puffy from crying. Her long brown hair was matted, and she looked as if she hadn't slept for days. She hastily wiped at her eyes and sniffled, deciding it wasn't worth the effort. She lowered her head back to her knees, continuing to cry.

Sasuke paced around his house. He had not known Hikaru for too long, but already he had come to like her. She was not annoyingly loud, nor did she try to cling to him. He had studied her silently, wondering if her eyes said anything, as his own did if you looked hard enough. They had shown something… something he could not read. He flopped onto his bed with a loud 'thump' and opened a book to its marker.

Hikaru stared out of one of the many windows in her hospital room. Another one opened, and even her trained senses did not notice. A man stood in front of her, blocking her view. She drew back, startled. "Who… Who are you?" a frown replaced his grin, and he slapped her right across the face. She crashed through the equipment around her bed which had not yet been removed, even though she was stable.

"What do you mean, who am I?!" he hissed at her, holding her against the wall by her neck. She tried to pull his hand away and he loosened it just enough so she could breathe.

"I don't know you, honestly." Tears streamed freely down her face. In disgust he pushed her away, then pulled her back. He roughly turned her so her back faced him. He ripped her top in the back, and pulled it apart so he had a clear view of her back. He bit his own finger, letting the blood flow. He quickly picked a section of her back and began to write in his own blood. He drew a fan, then his own personal symbol within that. He pressed his thumb in the center, and the kanji for 'remember' appeared. She screamed in pain. He shoved her back to the wall and kissed her gently. She tried to push him away, but he caught her wrists. They broke apart. He could hear nurses coming down the hall, so he whispered in her ear quickly.

"You know how to find me. And you will remember. Your memories should be coming back." A feral grin graced his lips, and he disappeared, leaving only the destroyed hospital room and Hikaru behind. She slid down the wall, her gaze vacant. A nurse ran in, and saw the girl. She called for the doctor, and told him it was an emergency. He came running, and found the nurse and patient in the mess of equipment. They put her back on the bed, covering her up. She rolled onto her side, away from them. Her eyes shone as memories played themselves out before her. Her body began to heal itself, and she sat up, turning to the doctor.

"It's all right, I'm fine now. Would you release me?" The doctor looked at her, astounded. It was true, an examination proved. They released her and she began the long walk to her house, eyes dark and angry. She reached her house by nightfall, only to sense him there as well. "So he looked for me here first…. How thoughtful of him." She snarled. Even her memories of him made her wretch.

As she sat on her bed she pulled out a kunai and held her ponytail out behind her, cutting it off in one quick movement. She climbed up to her attic, and just as the memory had shown her, all her old things were there. She began to cart the boxes downstairs, and when that was done she began to unpack. The preppy clothes that had been bought for her after they wiped her memory were discarded, soon to be burned, and her own clothing folded in the drawers and closets. As she came to the last box a smile formed upon her lips. She ripped open the top in one smooth movement, revealing her make-up, jewelry, and hair dyes of many colors. Her hair, which was down to just below her chin in front, and extremely short in back, needed some color, she decided. She pulled out a dye that appeared to be purple and walked to the bathroom. When she stepped out later there were bright purple streaks in her hair. She opened a drawer and pulled out a huge tank-top and a pair of worn old boxers. She slipped into them and climbed into the double bed that was pressed into a corner of the room. She lay on her back and soon the nightmares claimed her.

She woke the next morning and sat up, looking around. She yawned and stretched, then walked to the bathroom. She washed up, then pulled her make-up case from where she'd stowed it. She quickly slipped her purple contacts into her eyes, and then proceeded into her bedroom where she pulled out a pair of black Cargo pants, a black camisole, and a pink fishnet long-sleeve. Then she pulled on a jounin vest over that. She walked back to the bathroom and dumped the contents of her make-up case on the counter. She picked up her black eyeliner, and lined her eyes with it, then applied silver lipstick on her upper lip and black on her lower. A silver chain slipped over neck, and a few rubbery black bracelets graced her left wrist, while a thick yellow one with a word on it was pulled over her right wrist. She pulled on a pair of pink high-tops and left the house, her fore-headband sticking out of a pocket.

Sakura sat on a rock, earlier than usual. Sasuke and Naruto showed up at about the same time, and Sakura walked over to Sasuke. "Hey, Sasuke-kun… w-wanna go out this friday?" she asked shyly, blushing. Naruto pretended not to pay attention as she waited for Sasuke's answer.

"No, for the last time." He practically spat. She sighed and turned away. Hikaru landed silently in the shadows, and then stepped out.

"Hello." She said. Three pairs of eyes stared at her, and she glared back, pulling her hitae-ate headband from a pocket. She wrapped it around her forehead, letting no hair stay under. It flopped over her headband, practically covering her face. She flipped her hair back, and they gasped. The sign on her fore-headband… it was the konoha symbol with the sound symbol emblazoned over the center.

"W-what's that?" Sakura asked hesitantly, pointing at her hitae-ate. Sasuke just stared, wondering. Naruto simply stood in shock, looking at her vest. Hikaru made a kind of 'hmph' noise.

"What does it look like? It's my forehead protector, genius. And the vest? Well, that's what it looks like to. You didn't think I was actually a chuunin, did you?" she snickered as Kakashi walked into the clearing, expecting to be greeted with a chorus of 'You're late!' but it never came. He looked at the scene before him and gasped. Hikaru… purple hair…. jounin vest… now, her hitae-ate… she turned to him and he saw the symbol.

"Where did you…. That headband and vest…. Where?" he asked, barely able to speak.

"Where do you think? I got it from exactly where you put after you held me down so the Hokage could wipe my memories. And as to HOW I remembered?... well, I'm sure you can figure it out. I'll give you a clue. He came for me, and he searched my house, and then found me in the hospital. He truly is a genius." She smirked. Kakashi broke out in a cold sweat. Between the two of them, he couldn't determine the winner before-hand, because she knew the sharingan well, seeing as her former master had been a wielder of TWO sharingan eyes, and he had told them that she was one of the few people who could pose him a serious challenge. The only reason he had been able to defeat her without being hurt the last time was because she had been fighting for a very long time against many ANBU warriors. He didn't know if he'd come out of it alive, and he didn't want to die at the moment, not when he had students he thought could pass. He did, however, know that she would rather die than lose, and she would take him with her. "I'm not going to fight you. I hate him, as you well know." She stated, and he nodded.

Sasuke spoke, quietly. "He who? Hokage wiped your memories…. And who came looking for you. I think we deserve to know, seeing as you're our chuunin helper." His bangs covered his eyes, and she frowned again.

"I already SAID I wasn't a chuunin. And, as for who, I can't very well tell you, can I? basically, there's a law against it." She stated, still frowning. Kakashi looked relieved; knowing he wouldn't have wanted to deal with Sasuke if he had found out it had been Itachi, who had trained the girl personally. He shuddered.

The team trained as usual, this time only watched by their second jounin. Kakashi felt weary after the day of training, having had to keep an eye on all four, in case Hikaru had decided to run off. If she became a missing Nin, finding her would probably be ranked an A, or even S class mission, because not only was she a good fighter, she was a great con artist.

Afterwards, she began to head towards Hokage-Sama's, and Kakashi began to follow her. She turned to him, frowning.

"I don't need a guard, you know. I'm a jounin, not one of your pathetic genins. And I bet even one of them would be allowed to walk by themselves." Kakashi was so absorbed in her facial expression-what was that in her eyes?!- That he didn't see the chakra being built up in her hand. She sent a raw wave of chakra at him, knocking him and his students over. By the time he stood up, she was gone.

"Damnit all…" he muttered, dusting dirt off his pants. He dismissed his students. Sasuke walked home after turning Sakura down again, although without the usual venom. He was thinking, and that made him lose concentration on silly matters, like Sakura. He walked in his door, flicked on the TV, and settled on the couch for the afternoon news.

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That's the end of this chapter. I'm sorry it was so bad, but I'm still waiting out the after-affects of writers block. D:

Plus, I have a bunch of other ideas. That would be the after-affect. I have too many ideas for other stories. Mostly, original stuff….

Thanks for reading this! Please review!


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